The UC Davis men’s soccer (5-1-8 overall, 3-1-1 Big West) continue to roll as the Aggies beat rival UC Santa Barbara (6-6-2, 2-2-1) in a thriller in front of a soldout crowd of 1,344 spectators at Aggie Soccer Field.
After ending regulation and the first overtime in a scoreless tie, the game continued with a golden goal with just a few minutes to go in the double overtime period.
With just over three minutes left in the second overtime, junior midfielder Ryan Gross crossed a free kick near midfield, and junior midfielder Lucas Mohageg headed the ball into the top left corner of the net.
“Not too many teams are able to shutout a team like UC Santa Barbara, but we did today,” said head coach Dwayne Shaffer. “We applied so much pressure, attacking for so long, I felt like eventually they were going to break down. We need to capitalize on our set pieces, and Lucas, at 6-foot-4, is so good in the air — it was a really nice goal.”
UCSB played too aggressively, committing a total of 21 fouls and receiving six yellow cards, including a team infraction and two yellow cards to Brandon Brockway in the 50th minute.
The rivalry between UC Davis and UCSB added fuel to the fire for the Aggies. After losing and tying to the Gauchos last year, UC Davis came into the game seeking revenge.
The absence of senior defender Ramon Martin del Campo, out for a red card suspension, did not phase the Aggie defense. The Aggies limited the Gauchos to two shots on goal and only two corner kicks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Armando Quezada earned the win in his second shutout of the season with two saves against the Gauchos.
The Aggies will now embark on a three-game road trip to face Cal Poly, Sacramento State and UCSB. The Aggies return to Davis on Nov. 1 to face the Sacramento State Hornets.
